A/N Okay, here goes my second attempt at a story. I'd like everyone to know that I'm crossing over with the now obscure Independence War series of space-sim games. Therefore it is my duty to provide as much information and detail about it in this story. Hopefully if I can do this, then the story will be interesting. If not, Oh well I tried.
"I-War Ed"
They came. Just like the reason they entered the cluster, they escaped problems that could not be solved, they wanted to make a living on the fringes of Known Space, they wanted independence. However, while the Megacorporations allowed them into the frontier, it was at a price. While many did pay off these debts and formed loosely held communities. These Freelancers had no one to hold them down from their dreams but are also targets from outlaws and those… who assault them only to leave destruction with no real gain. Then there are the Indentures, those who have yet to pay off the debts of the corporations and thus fettered by their sponsors to their habitats and workstations. It seemed no matter how hard the Indentures worked they were just below freedom. This was the way of life in the Gagarin Cluster and the seven star systems that composed it. Fomalhaut, Drake, Osprey, New Bavaria, Batatas, Owens's Star, and Ishime.
Until one month ago.
June 17, 2377
Near Vampyre orbit
Batatas System
The Batatas system was unique among the other systems of the Gagarin Cluster. Not only because it was the only system to contain more than one star, this trinary star system had very little hold by corporate and government alike, leaving Batatas mostly lawless. The system was enshrouded by a blood red nebula that did not have a name. In fact, the whole cluster was in the nebula. With different colors depending on the system. In total the system held eight planets, 29 natural satellites and 41 space stations. Vampyre, the most outbound planet in orbit of Batatas III was a gas planet coated in dark gray gas clouds and a thick ring of asteroids and ice. Vampyre's single moon Stoker residing around 200,000 kilometers away had a greenish surface mixed with tan clouds. While it may appear habitable, the surface temperature is estimated to be negative 110F.
However that is not relevant now, the rings of Vampyre are being mined for metals and a certain mining vessel is nearly late. This mustard yellow vessel was an oblong oval in shape with twin thrusters that had a diamond held in a ring connected by metal rods, which in turn had a smaller diamond inside this was to lower maneuverability of the thrusters to that of which was suitable for mining conditions. On the underside were "Waldo" robotic arms folded due to not being in use, and detachable mining tools from drill bits to lasers to explosive charges. In the bow of this oval was the red tinted panel used to see from the cockpit, this panel took up nearly the entire bow saves for a bumper with additional lights and a flashing yellow siren neatly on top. Finally, the stern held a docking collar exclusive to use only by "Faerie" class mining flitters, and on the top of this vessel held one universal docking collar found on almost any ship. In short this was your typical "Frog" class light mining craft.
In the cockpit were monitors for sensors shielding etc, which all functioned normally except for one, the two seats in the cockpit had people in them. A pair of young men. One who was on the short side wore a gray body suit with no noticeable features other than the logo for the Maas Corporation on the back and an identification code 24558. This figures shaven black hair had three long back strands that somehow survived the cut and a bored look on his face.
"Come on, it never takes this long." he thought to himself while staring at he distance between them and their destination which was around 10,000 km and closing quickly thanks to the Linear Displacement Systems Class 1 drive which sadly due to lack of maintenance was malfunctioning hindering it's maximum speed from one third the speed of light to one fifth. Although it was not the speed they were going they were nearly at the cluster of asteroids they were designated to mine.
"So Ed, ready for another shift of grinding rocks into useless dust?" The short one said to his partner.
His partner Ed was in contrast a tall yet rather moronic fellow. Who could afford to wear his own clothing which was a red and white striped shirt under a dark green Syntha-Wool jacket, blue jeans that looked fairly new and black sneakers. Ed suffered from a hereditary form of jaundice leaving his skin a sick yellow save for his orange hair which he kept in a buzz cut. Something was clearly troubling him, as he was in a depressed mood.
"Ed, you there? Focus!"
Ed looked at his friend Eddy for a few seconds trying to say something yet couldn't find the strength.
"Vessel number 99 you barely made it. Head to the designated waypoint and await further instructions." Spoke the overseer and enforcer of the local operation, Former Second Lieutenant Kevin Blackwell aboard the "Cutter" class corvette Positive Spin.
"Acknowledged." Eddy complied uninterestedly while setting the autopilot to "approach" on the waypoint.
"What am I supposed to do now? Now I'm all alone." Ed asked his partner after attaining enough willpower to do so.
"Come on Ed, it's been a month." Eddy replied.
"You don't understand Eddy, Sarah was all I had. I don't have a family except her, and even if I did… Those things would make sure that was not the case."
"Ed, I lost my brother to them too, but I have to move on if I want to be at the top of the food chain here. Besides she would have wanted you to move o…"
"How do you know that Eddy! Were you there to hear that she said that?"
"So much for trying to help." Eddy thought to himself.
After a few seconds of silence, the ship has reached the waypoint awaiting orders. Which was just a tiny spherical beacon with an immense asteroid several kilometers away.
"Alright vessel number 99, see that asteroid over there?"
The two Eds proceed to rotate the ship to face the rock using tiny secondary maneuvering thrusters placed around it.
"Affirmative." The two voices simultaneously replied with varied emotion.
"It may look harmless enough, but according to the Vampyre Ore Processing Plant they believe the rock is on a collision course with them and will collide by the end of the day. Because the station lacks defensive systems, and because the available weaponry on our ships is insufficient we won't be able to blow it to smithereens. However while we can't destroy it, we can attempt to knock it off course. 99, seeing how you're the only craft to have mining charges thanks to the damn shortage. We need you to enter the asteroid, get as close as possible to the center of mass, place and detonate the charges. If all goes well, the asteroid will split in half and the two halves will spread far enough from each other to avoid the station. Sounds easy don't it? Do it then, we have marked a waypoint where the probes we sent went the deepest in. The sooner the asteroid is spilt the higher chance of success. Blackwell out.
"How come we have to do all the hard work?" Eddy complained to nobody in particular.
"Quit bellyaching and just do it, the sooner you two get this done the less I have to hear you bitch about it" Spoke an unknown voice on the Network 159 STL communication terminal. This voice belonged to a young man on the other end. While due to lack of lighting his face was hard to see, he was clearly wearing a body suit much like Eddy's and an old sock like hat that was still in very good condition.
"Whatever Double D." Eddy replied.
"At least you get some action, I have to skim Vampyre's upper clouds to harvest gas. Do you know how boring that is? If it weren't for all the E-zines and books stored on my ships CPU, I don't know where I would be. What I would give to be a Junker again."
"Call back later Double D, me and Eddy have to get to work." Ed finished the conversation by disconnecting the transmission.
When the two reach the entrance to the asteroid they were to use, they realized that their job was going to be tougher than they thought. Ed checking the list of contacts detected on their sensors all of them at least 200 km. away. The list showed the IFF, identified the name and type of the ship and marked whether a ship was friend or foe. Looking over Positive Spin the ship was marked a neutral yellow Corvette that belonged to the Navy, Ed then looked over the Vampyre Ore Processing Plant which was too marked neutral and identified as an Independent station IFF as it was registered so after construction. However, something attracted Ed's attention, while their own ship the Evil King Tim or as he called it "Evil Tim" which was classified as a utility vessel slowly entered the rock with Eddy in control, Ed noticed three Corvettes show up on the contact list. They were marked a hostile red and had an unknown IFF, but Ed knew well who they were.
Marauders.
A/N If you have read this far then I must be doing something right. Go ahead and review please, it will help motivate me knowing that people are paying attention and pointing out mistakes so I can correct them. Also, yes I know that Double D was OOC, but this is 2387. The cul-de-sac kids we know and love are long dead, and it will be their descendants that will be the stars of this fic. So while they will be similar in appearance and name, they are not clones and will have their own personalities. Until next time this is Doc signing out.